Haven't seen a Hoverboard or a Time Machine made out of a DeLorean as yet! Although I could certainly do with the Sports Almanac as I could win enough knowing the results over the next few months to stay at home and not worry!!!
Quite a bit from Star trek has become reality though. If Boris was the Captain of The Enterprise I am sure he would insist on the clinically vulnerable wearing red shirts as those poor fellas were right in the front line!!!
Ah for a time machine! Many years ago my daughters watched a programme about a watch that could freeze time and I remembered thinking how useful that could be! I do remember a case of some very clever criminals who took just a small amount out of millions out of umpteen accounts ,maybe 50p. They made a fortune as people rarely miss such a small amount! Obviously they weren't that clever or wouldn't have got caught!
At least with a Star Trek scenario there might be an option of Boris and Co being beamed up,preferably to an unknown planet and left there!
I wonder what he would do if he could magically turn back the clocks? Would he genuinely make different decisions or just more carefully cover up his mistakes and corruption?
Sadly I think it's the latter.
Theres been quite a bit of publicity about Tory corruption in news this week. Everything from PPE, building regulations, track and trace almost to much to keep up with.
I did take time to listen to independent SAGE who agreed that first priority should be to get childeren back in schools. To do this safely we need to reduce infection by having an efficient track trace and isolate system. This needs to be done through local authorities as they know the area,they can go to people directly,people are more likely to engage. It's how it's done in countries who have coped much better with the virus. To be honest it's even how they do it in the movies!
Why arent we doing it? Well either the government is stupid. Alternatively if such matters were on a local level Boris couldnt hand lucrative contracts to his chums for acquiring PPE or endless Track and Trace programmes.!
I'm sure people remember in April that lots of UK businesses were offering to help whether by making PPE or ventilators, they were finding they were contacting the government but no one was getting back to them. Incompetence or a case of it was a foregone conclusion?
Certainly in the case of track and trace and putting it back in hands of local government it would require substantial investment from the government. Unfortunately local government has been stripped bare in the past decade. In an effort to provide essential and frontline services everything is cut to the bone including public health,environmental health etc. Long serving and experienced workers are no longer there.
I think this is part of the problem in effectively dealing with the virus due to austerity the services we need,social care,NHS, police,army,education were barely coping before the pandemic. Remember the call for retired health care professionals even though they were often in high risk group?
Last week a factory up North had an outbreak. A testing unit was sent in. The testing service is contracted to a large private company. They tested the day shift but refused to do the night shift as not in contract. It took a week to resolve the issue.
Contact tracers are struggling. People are either refusing to answer phone or if do not giving contacts. This seems to be for several reasons. A major factor is lack of support if have to isolate. There is no financial support unless your employer provides sick pay. If part of zero hours/ minimum wage job sector you simply cant afford to be away from work. A 5 week wait for Univesal Credit no help.
So the Government need to give the money it has spent on ineffective world beating programmes back to local authorities if we have any hope of keeping ahead of the virus. This should be happening now, in fact weeks ago,if schools are to open safely. Even Mr Whitty said choices will need to be made. I'm not sure the Government have the inclination to make the right ones.
Are they capable of learning from their mistakes?
About a month ago Hancock announced any care home staff and residents would have access to tests needed on a weekly basis. I must admit I thought this was happening. Certainly it's happening in my daughters care home,every Monday. Last week he announced testing was on hold until September. I was a bit bemused by this,wondered if the situation now under control etc. This week Hancock said it was due to limited access to tests. Hmm. Is that because of rise in infections elsewhere? Apparently the system never really got off the ground. Some care homes got access to tests,some only sporadically, some none at all despite pleas to helpline numbers etc. The testing programme in care homes isnt paused until September it will start then.! Meanwhile any staff and residents who have symptoms can access a test. Sorry but once it's in a care home...
To my surprise my daughters care home apparently is continuing with tests. I must admit I wondered how they were accessing them. They are a national agency so wondered if maybe that gave them more clout. I know social care is a mix of small independently run homes,very few local author8ones,charity ones etc. I knew some were owned by massive international companies. I didnt realise it was 89%. Indeed my daughters is owned by a pan European company who also own pizza express, hobbycraft, pret a manger. She did say she wondered why they got Hobbycraft vouchers!
I think it also throws new light on Boris blaming care homes to. It never was about greedy home owners skimping on PPE.
So Max. Unless a massive miracle happens I cant see much changing by September. In some ways your situation reminds me of another person on here at the start of all this. He was working in a job where he spent all day in and out of peoples homes. He was worried about the risk,worried about keeping a roof over his head and how to approach his employer. Of course three weeks later all of this was taken care of by lockdown and furlough. Until then he was at risk.
I think Max you are in a similar situation. All you can do is buy time as best you can until the government are forced to act
) when Space 1999 seemed very distant! I'm sure there are many things that exist now that we could never have imagined 40 years ago. All that having to get up and change channels,all three of them!
